The U.S. craft spirits category faced a tougher 2025 after volume fell for the third consecutive year, according to the 2026 Craft Spirits Data Project. Yet the data also shows where craft is holding its ground: in the tasting room, with the consumers who walk through the door.
Over the past decade, the tasting room has become the foundation of the craft spirits business. Sales at the distillery grew from 14% of craft spirits sales in 2015 to 26% in 2025, meaning more than one in four craft bottles is now sold directly to a consumer who walked through the door.
The number of active craft distillers in the U.S. now sits at 2,131 as of August 2026, down 6.6% from 2,282 a year earlier. The remaining industry is leaner, closer to its customers, and increasingly built around direct relationships.
Led by the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and Park Street, the Craft Spirits Data Project, introduced in 2016, is a first-of-its-kind research initiative quantifying the number, size, and impact of craft spirits producers in the United States. The report aims to provide a solid and reliable fact base for evaluating performance and trends in the U.S. craft spirits industry.
Key Findings and Highlights
U.S. craft spirits market volume decreased by 8.0% to 11.7 million 9L cases in 2025 (versus 12.7 million in 2024).
In value terms, the market reached $7.3 billion in sales, a 3.7% decrease. Value held up better than volume, a sign that consumers are still willing to pay for quality craft products.
Craft’s share of the total U.S. spirits market fell to 4.2% by volume (from 4.5% in 2024) and 7.3% by value (from 7.5%).
Craft producers sharply reduced investment in their businesses. Total investment declined for the second year in a row, to $526 million (down from $811 million in 2024), and the average producer invested $239,800 (down from $288,900).
Employment declined for the second year in a row, reaching 21,285 full-time domestic employees, down 25.6% from 28,628 in 2024.
Exports fell 13.4% in 2025 to 123,000 9L cases, as tariffs weighed on an important runway for growth.